1/13/2013 This Way Out

"NewsWrap": A judge makes Sao Paulo the latest Brazilian state to open civil marriage to same-gender couples, but an expected December 26th Senate vote on a marriage equality bill in Uruguay is postponed until April, while lawmakers in Taiwan hold initial hearings on a bill to give limited marriage rights to the island's same-gender couples; first-ever voter-authorized marriages of lesbian and gay couples are celebrated in Maine and Maryland, while marriage equality bills progress in Illinois and Rhode Island, and five lesbian couples make news applying for marriage licenses in the state of Mississippi; a Cameroon appeals court upholds the 3 year prison sentence of a man convicted of "homosexuality" for simply sending an "I love you" text message to another man, while continuing harassment and worse against LGBT activists in Uganda includes the arrests of two gay youth workers, the vandalizing and burglary of the offices of Sexual Minorities Uganda, and preachers pushing for passage of the so-called "Kill The Gays Bill" when parliament reconvenes in February; a little corner of the moon is named for late lesbian astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, while a lesbian and her partner become the proud parents of the first baby born in 2013 in France (written by GREG GORDON, produced by STEVE PRIDE, and reported this week by SARAH SWEENEY and MICHAEL LEBEAU)

U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated former Republican Senator Chuck Hegel to become his new Secretary of Defense. But Hegel has harsh critics in the LGBT community who recall the bitter taste of his homophobic 1998 attack on then-ambassadorial nominee JAMES HORMEL. Hegel's late-December 2012 apology and Hormel's provisional acceptance should be duly noted, but many activists find Hegel's contrition far too conveniently timed. You may hear more about Hegel's homophobic history in the coming days, but perhaps not so much from one of its targets. "This Way Out's" STEVE PRIDE chatted recently with the philanthropist, meatpacking heir, first openly gay U.S. ambassador, and now memoirist ("Fit To Serve" from Skyhorse Publishing), who also added octogenarian to his credits on New Years Day (with brief outro music from "Out In This World" performed by SHAWN THOMAS)